Presidential candidates neck-and-neck in Nigeria elections

Nigeria is still awaiting final results for its tightest presidential election ever.

The two candidates are neck and neck and the country is still counting the ballots from this weekend’s vote.

Official results show opposition contender Muhammadu Buhari leading over incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan with about 2 million votes.

This could herald a victory for Buhari, who first came to power thirty years ago in a military coup. He is largely backed by Muslims in the North, while Jonathan finds support in the country’s Catholic south.

The election has split Nigeria in half and many are hoping the country can avoid the deadly violence that marred its last presidential vote four years ago.

“We just hope that the results come out and there is peace everywhere because there is still panic presently around Lagos because of the result. Most people are not going to work,” said Lagos resident Oluwa Seun.

Nigerians did not only vote for their president but also for their members of parliament.

The ruling Peoples Democratic Party and Buhari’s All Progressives Congress have pledged to ensure the elections are fair, but bouts of violence have already erupted in the south of the country over allegations of vote-rigging.